HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Congregation Beth Ha-Tephila, the first synagogue in Asheville, was founded on August 16, 1891. At that time the Conservative congregation met at the Lyceum Hall on Biltmore Avenue. Property for a Jewish cemetery was purchased in 1902 at Riverside.  In the same year, a building was purchased at Spruce and Woodfin Streets. In 1908 the Congregation became a Reform congregation and joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. In 1919 the Congregation debated the Conservative-Reform question again, but they voted to remain Reform, and the conservatives eventually split off to form their own Orthodox congregation called the Bikur Holim in 1898. An Orthodox congregation synagogue was built and just before High Holy Day Services in 1916, the building was set ablaze in one of Asheville's first anti-Semitic crimes.  In 1946 Rabbi Sidney Unger began his seventeen years of service to the Congregation. Fund-raising for a new temple had already begun in 1942, with the establishment of a New Building Fund Committee, but Unger was instrumental in bringing the plans to fruition. The new building, on the corner of Liberty and Broad Streets was dedicated in 1949. The temple facilities were later augmented with a new religious school building which was dedicated in 1959. Dr. Sidney Unger retired in 1963. Rabbi Bernard Bloom served from 1964-1965, and was then succeeded by Rabbi Stanley R. Funston. Asheville had an early and thriving Jewish community. The first settlers were those who came as tinkers and peddlers and who stayed on. Other Jewish families came for their health during the years when Asheville was well-known for its tuberculin santoria. When the railroad came to Asheville in the late 1800's the population of Jewish families again soared. The importation of merchandise to support newly created Jewish businesses was greatly simplified by rail transport. It is believed that by 1900 nearly half  the businesses on Main Street were Jewish-owned and operated. Harry Finklestein, Louis Blomberg, Sam Finestein, S.W. Silverman, and others were among the early entrepreneurs.  Good sources of historical information about Congregation Beth-ha-Tephila include the Golden Book of Memoirs (M79.13.5, folder 5) and the 75th Anniversary Program (M79.13.5, folder 6) and Letters from Leo: World War II Correspondence to the Asheville Lions Club, Boone, NC: Center Appalachian Studies, 1997 [Leo Finklestein].

A HISTORY OF CONGREGATION BETH HA-TEPHILA [From the Golden Book of Memoirs] Fifty years have passed since that day, August 16, 1891, when twenty-seven men founded Congregation Beth Ha-Tephila. The two -score years and ten are filled with thrilling, creative, turbulent episodes, stories of men and women of strong convictions speaking their mind and hearts with eloquence and vigor. There are tales of vigorous personalities who bestride the pages of our records. Joy and sorrow commingle, success and failure blend, as the memory of things past comes into our ken. Greater than they knew was the accomplishment of those men who sat around a table in old Lyceum Hall on South Main Street (now Biltmore avenue) and took up the tasks their forefathers had begun. Their courage, their hope, their love of Judaism loom up significantly today as their contribution to all the generations that followed. We are grateful. At the very beginning, they were not sure of their ground. Asheville was a little mountain community, with wide, muddy streets. The roads into town were the narrow mountain roads, twisting in tortuous turns for mile on mile, worn down by countless generations of Indians and pioneers. The one-story buildings lined the streets. The hillfolk, gathering at corners for snatches of conversation, gazed curiously at the few Jews in their midst. The mountaineers of Western North Carolina were from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, completely Anglo-Saxon. For the most part they were kindly, but the handful of Jews wondered. ... But there were the children to think of; there was their own pressing need for fellowship of the right kind. And on August 16, 1891, they gathered together. They elected Abraham Whitlock as pro-tem president, Solomon Lipinsky as pro-tem treasurer, and G. H. Mayer as pro-tem secretary. One of those present was not satisfied. E. Sternberger rose to his feet and said: "I move that this be a permanent organization." It was a memorable moment when they voted. For then and there, history was made. They took unto themselves the age-old Jewish responsibility for the care and education of their children, the establishment of a house of worship and the conduct of services, and the creation of a meeting-place for good fellowship. We today look back through the years, and we think of that "permanent organization" which they founded. "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it." Who were the men and women who left a permanent impress upon all the pages of our history? There was Solomon Lipinsky, a vigorous, slow-talking but eloquent, suave, the founder of a great department store, influential among rich and poor. There was Siegfried Sternberg, a volatile personality, roubust and aggressive, yet kindly, a benefactor to untold numbers of Jews and Gentiles alike. There was Sir Philip S. Henry, the cultured English Jew, ever-ready to offer of his largess. There was Mrs. Minnie Loryea Barnett, attentive to the needs of the congregation, unfalteringly loyal and generous. And Mrs. Minnie Loryea Barnett, attentive to the needs of the congregation, unfalteringly loyal and generous. And Mrs. M.D. Long, gracious, magnetic, poised, a personality with every attractive quality and with a sense of responsibility to the community. Other names throng upon us -- S.H. Friedman, G. Alexander, Charles Rutenberg, Jacob Cohen, A. Kreslowsky, Ralph Rosenberg, M.D. Long. There were the rabbis: Lazaron, Zeisler, Barrasch, Wessel, Rhine, Jacobson, and Kline. Each name conjures up pictures of a pulpiteer, a friend, a confidant. How their names bring us back through the kaleidescopic years! Friendly talks ... special meals when the rabbi was guest ... funerals of beloved ones ... weddings of youngsters ... Bar-Mitzvohs ... Confirmations. And now, fifty years after! In each heart and mind is a different story of those fifty years, a tale of which we can tell only a part. A week after that first memorable meeting, a constitution and by-laws were ready. The men gathered together in Lyceum Hall on August 23, 1891. E. Sternberger was elected vice-president. The constitution and by-laws were adopted. Read the first article: "This organization shall be known as the Congregation Beth Ha-Tephila (The House of Prayer) and shall be conservative ... " And the second article: "This organization is formed for the purpose of holding religious services, establishing a Sunday School, purchasing a cemetery, acquiring a house of worship, or any other purpose within the scope of Judaism." Twenty-seven men signed their names as charter members. Today, we honor their memory and dedicate this book to them, the Pioneers of 1891: M. Marks E. Straus Max Lindau M. Meyers Louis Marks Max Marcus S.J. Lindau A.L. Solomon B. Swartzberg A. Whitlock Morris N. Epstien G. H. MAyer L. Bloomberg S. Lipinsky L. Berman M.D. Long Sam Fienstein B. Zagier R. Jacobson M. Shuman E. Sternberger J. Cohen B. Whitlock S. Shiffman M. Swartzberg A.B. Schayer A. Blomberg

Today, [1941] two of them still worship with us: Louis Blomberg and Morris Meyers. Were you to look over those old  "minutes of the meeting," some curious facts would come to light. Dues were $10 a year, payable quarterly. When one was sic months in arrears, he was suspended and could be reinstated only upon payment of all back dues and a majority vote ofr the congregation. The treasurer was bonded for $500, although his report never showed more than $165 in the ban at a single time. The firest "minister" was Reverend A. Jacoby from Charleston, W. Va., to serve during the Holy Days of 1891. Mr. A.B. Schayer, himself a charter member of the congregation, was also engaged to assist him, "both men not to cost over $150" as set forth in the budget. Lyceum Hall was the first "home" of the congregation. They used it for everything: worship, Sunday School and social affairs. It was rented from a fraternal order at the rate of $75 per year. Here G.H. Mayer, the secretary, served also as the first superintendent of the Sunday School. We haven't the record, but he probably taught the children from "The Catechism," a Sunday School popular in those days. When Purim came that first year, a successful party was held by the young men of the congregation. It netted $52.30, and they gave it to the congregation with the recommendation that it be used to buy an orgna, "the same to be the property of the congregation." The new organ aroused them to further efforts. They formed a choir "to improve the services," and in order to avoid expense from the music they used the traditional melodies. The first annual election, held in 1892, saw Mr. Whitlock retained in the presidency, M.D. Long as vice-president, and Mr. Schayer elected "reader" at a salary of $100 payable after the Holy Days. Toward the end of that year, Jacob Cohen replaced G.H. Mayer as secretary and also as superintendent of the Sunday School. Apparently, the two positions went together. On November 25, 1892, Congregation Beth Ha-Tephila was duly chartered by registrtion in the office of the Clerk of Superior Court for Buncombe County, North Carolina. The charter was taken out to enable them to purchase land for cemetery use. But then the arguments began! Where was the best place? Chunns Cove cost $250, Riverside cost $500. Finally, convenience decided the issue. Riverside it was, one acre. But now came another question. Who would take care of the deceased? What about the Burial Society (Chevra Kadisha)? Was it a part of the congregation or a separate organization? At first, the decision was to form a separate society. It was a long time before that "society" became a cemetery committee of the congregation. Mr. Kreslowsky, the father of Mrs. A. Whitlock, was in charge of the cemetery. Another important question about the "reader" had to be decided. Should he wear a cap and robe, or not? The minutes of February 3, 1893 give [sic] the answer. Mr. Schayer was permitted to buy a cap and a robe. The next ten years of the congregation's life are unknown. No written records are available. Perhaps the initial force had spent itself. Perhaps it was the depression of the 90's. Whatever it was, the congregation was not too weak to weather the first crucial period. And new forces were now at work. Newly arriving families found the congregation insuffici iently orthodox. But Abraham Whitlock, the president and Solomon Lipinsky, energetic young merchant[s], were emphatic in their emphasis upon Reform Judaism. As a result, the small Jewish community was split into two congregations, orthodox and reform. Neither seemed to make much headway. Three men served successively as secretaries of the congregation, Jacob Cohen, Bernard Whitlock and Solomon Lipinsky. There was no regular Sabbath service. The Sunday School was loosely organized and attendance was irregular. Such synagogue activities as there were, were held at Odd Fellows Hall in the Hilliard Building on Biltmore avenue (opposite Eagle street). When the lodge moved to the third floor of a building on Church street, the congregation moved with them. That is where find them at the turn of the century. In April, 1902, a rare opportunity presented itself to the congregation. The present Temple edifice was available. It had been used as a Baptist Church since 1863, and sold to the Christian Church in 1891. In 1900, the trustees of that congregation deeded the building to their minister, the Reverend T.M. Meyers, in lieu of the salary due him as minister. The Reverend Mr. Meyers had been forced to borrow on the property, and was glad to find a buyer in Congregation Beth Ha-Tephila. The purchase price was $2000. It gave the congregation a new lease on life. Through the efforts of Mrs. M.D. Long, the ladies of the congregation formed an auxiliary, known as The Jewish Ladies' Aid Society, to help pay for the edifice. "The Aid" did its work efficiently. In later years it brought forth new purposes: the care of the cemetery, the making of shrouds, and visiting the sick. Shortly after the purchase of the building, there came to Asheville

See THE GOLDEN BOOK OF MEMOIRS: The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Congregation Beth Ha-Tephila

SERIES DESCRIPTION

Series 1:  Early Records Series 2:  Board of Trustees Papers Series 3:  Rabbis Series 4:  Women's Organizations Series 5:  Men's Organizations [includes Brotherhood] Series 6:  Publications Series 7:  Office Records Series 8:  Printed Material Series 9:  Photographs Series10: Blueprint and Oversize Materials Series 11: Addendum (later accessions)